On Monday, we brought you the story of Tony Picard, the 400-pound high school running back whose highlights and very existence went viral over the weekend.
But it turns out that Picard's best highlight of the season may not have occurred on the football field at all. Rather, it may have come on Facebook, where Picard gracefully rebuked bullies and trolls who made fun of his weight, as photos and videos of him in uniform circulated online.
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It all started when the ESPN show SportsNation posted this photo of Picard to its Facebook page:
Post by SportsNation.
Commenters quickly piled on. "It's funny because he's fat," one wrote. "There must be a Twinkie in the end zone," another said. "Tub of lard," one more wrote.
Despite just being a high-school senior, Picard showed more maturity than his critics by typing this response on his mobile device early Saturday morning:
To the people trying to put me down it don't bother me I could care less about all the negative comments I'm just doing what my coach asked me to do so that's why I'm running the ball.and laying nose guard...yeah I'm fat but o well I'm doing what I can....I'm doing what I love and that's playing football..
Picard's response has since overshadowed any of the hate. At the time of this writing, it's been liked more than 2,300 times, and has received more than 140 supportive replies since Saturday.
Picard, who plays for White Swan High School in Yakima, Wash., has reportedly rushed for more than 700 yards and 15 touchdowns.
But if we've learned one thing over the past few days, it's that the teenager isn't just a highlight reel on the field — he's a role model off of it, too.
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Homepage image: YouTube, Dirk Knudsen